There is -no- such thing as a stupid question?

Uncwilly · 2013-03-06, 00:49

Who ever said that never ran into a reporter or news reader.

"Is this [the flyby of 2012 DA14] an effect of, perhaps, of global warming or is this just some meteoric occasion?"

http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/02/12/C...6711360683868/

kladner · 2013-03-06, 00:52

Words fail me.

kracker · 2013-03-06, 00:53

< That best describes my feelings.

chalsall · 2013-03-06, 01:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by kladner

Words fail me.

Don't know whether to laugh or cry....

LaurV · 2013-03-06, 02:34

Not stupid at all. We may comment here for ages, but they took the money for it. It just shows how ridiculous these people became in pushing their global warming shit around...

science_man_88 · 2013-03-06, 03:13

I could make that question sound possible to some extent but not really.

ewmayer · 2013-03-06, 03:32

Perfectly sensible question - GW causes the atmosphere to thicken and extend further out into space, thus increasing Earth's "capture cross section". (Economists are still debating whether this means that GW is "inflationary", and thus should have targets set by the world's central banks).

The real question the reporter should have asked is, was it arthropodean global warming, or the australopithecine kind?

Batalov · 2013-03-06, 03:38

My middle-school teacher taught me that there are no stupid questions --

Uncwilly · 2013-03-06, 08:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Perfectly sensible question - GW causes the atmosphere to thicken and extend further out into space, thus increasing Earth's "capture cross section".

2012 DA14 did not get near any significant atmosphere. This was a lead up question before the event.

Brian-E · 2013-03-06, 11:24

If we want to judge the news anchor's performance here, the right question to ask is whether she has correctly assumed the level of naivity of the bulk of her audience. Its not her place to air her own knowledge of the nature of the asteroid bypass: that's for the interviewee to do.

I fear that she probably pitched her question about right. But that's not to blame her audience particularly either.

How many people here learned about Near Earth Objects and the hazards of Earth impact as part of their general, compulsory school education? What level of insight is there on the subject amongst non-specialist members of the public? Has this general awareness changed at all since the recent astonishing same-day occurrence of a (predicted) very close asteroid bypass and the (unpredicted) impact of a smaller object in Russia?

axn · 2013-03-06, 11:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian-E

If we want to judge the news anchor's performance here, the right question to ask is whether she has correctly assumed the level of naivity of the bulk of her audience. Its not her place to air her own knowledge of the nature of the asteroid bypass: that's for the interviewee to do.

2013-03-06, 00:49	#1
Uncwilly 6809 > 6502 """"""""""""""""""" Aug 2003 101×103 Posts 10,891 Posts	There is -no- such thing as a stupid question? Who ever said that never ran into a reporter or news reader. "Is this [the flyby of 2012 DA14] an effect of, perhaps, of global warming or is this just some meteoric occasion?" http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/02/12/C...6711360683868/ Last fiddled with by Uncwilly on 2013-03-06 at 00:52

2013-03-06, 03:38	#8
Batalov "Serge" Mar 2008 Phi(4,2^7658614+1)/2 3²×1,117 Posts	My middle-school teacher taught me that there are no stupid questions -- Attached Thumbnails

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2013-03-06, 00:52	#2
kladner "Kieren" Jul 2011 In My Own Galaxy! 27AE₁₆ Posts	Words fail me.

2013-03-06, 00:53	#3
kracker "Mr. Meeseeks" Jan 2012 California, USA 2⁷·17 Posts	< That best describes my feelings.

2013-03-06, 02:34	#5
LaurV Romulan Interpreter "name field" Jun 2011 Thailand 2²·7·367 Posts	Not stupid at all. We may comment here for ages, but they took the money for it. It just shows how ridiculous these people became in pushing their global warming shit around...

2013-03-06, 03:13	#6
science_man_88 "Forget I exist" Jul 2009 Dartmouth NS 2·3·23·61 Posts	I could make that question sound possible to some extent but not really.

2013-03-06, 03:32	#7
ewmayer ∂²ω=0 Sep 2002 República de California 5×2,351 Posts	Perfectly sensible question - GW causes the atmosphere to thicken and extend further out into space, thus increasing Earth's "capture cross section". (Economists are still debating whether this means that GW is "inflationary", and thus should have targets set by the world's central banks). The real question the reporter should have asked is, was it arthropodean global warming, or the australopithecine kind?

2013-03-06, 11:24	#10
Brian-E "Brian" Jul 2007 The Netherlands 2×11×149 Posts	If we want to judge the news anchor's performance here, the right question to ask is whether she has correctly assumed the level of naivity of the bulk of her audience. Its not her place to air her own knowledge of the nature of the asteroid bypass: that's for the interviewee to do. I fear that she probably pitched her question about right. But that's not to blame her audience particularly either. How many people here learned about Near Earth Objects and the hazards of Earth impact as part of their general, compulsory school education? What level of insight is there on the subject amongst non-specialist members of the public? Has this general awareness changed at all since the recent astonishing same-day occurrence of a (predicted) very close asteroid bypass and the (unpredicted) impact of a smaller object in Russia?